Bent Cross Section Fan Guard for Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air cleaners face challenges in balancing the strength of the fan guard to support the motor and blower fan while ensuring smooth air flow and reducing noise generated by the blower fan's rotation.
Innovation Solution
The air cleaner incorporates a fan guard with a guide grill featuring multiple bent cross sections that increase its strength by providing wider gaps between the blower fan blades and the guard, allowing for smooth air flow and effective noise reduction, while also supporting the motor and blower fan through strategically positioned supports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the fan guard is made stronger to support the motor and blower fan, then the strength increases, but the air flow becomes restricted and noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fan guard incorporates bent cross sections with curved geometries instead of straight rigid structures. These bent portions (first, second, and third bent portions) create a curved air passage that guides air smoothly from the inlet to the blower fan, reducing turbulence and noise while maintaining structural strength through the bent configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The fan guard is divided into multiple functional segments: a guide grill with multiple ribs forming openings, first/second/third bent portions for structural strength and air guiding, and a motor installation portion with supports. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally while contributing to the overall strength and air flow efficiency.
2Ease of manufacture
If the fan guard structure is simplified for ease of manufacture, then manufacturing becomes easier, but the ability to support motor and fan loads decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The bent cross sections can be formed through standard bending or molding processes, which are conventional manufacturing techniques. The curved geometry provides structural strength comparable to thicker rigid materials while being manufacturable using existing processes, thus maintaining ease of manufacture while improving load support capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The fan guard is designed as a integrated structure with distinct functional zones (guide grill, bent portions, motor installation portion) that can be manufactured as a single piece or assembled from simple components. The supports for the motor are provided as separate elements that can be easily attached, simplifying the manufacturing process while ensuring adequate load support.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the gap between blower fan blades and fan guard is increased to reduce noise, then noise decreases, but the structural compactness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The first bent portion is positioned to create an optimized gap between the blower fan blades and the fan guard. This curved configuration provides sufficient clearance to reduce noise and prevent contact during fan rotation, while the bent structure itself occupies space efficiently, maintaining overall compactness of the air cleaner device.
Data Source
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AI summary
An air cleaner, which allows air to flow smoothly, has increased strength, and reduces noise generated when a blower fan rotates. The air cleaner includes a main body including an inlet and an outlet, a blower fan provided inside of the main body, and configured to induce air from outside of the main body to be suctioned into the inlet and to be discharged to the outlet, a motor configured to drive the blower fan, and a fan guard to which the motor is fixed, and configured to guide air suctioned into the inlet to the blower fan, where the fan guard is provided to include a plurality of bent cross sections arranged in a radial direction at different distances from the motor.